Friday, October 6, 2017

How to Clean and Cut Mushrooms | Cooking Basics

I still remember the first time when i tried the mushrooms at restaurant in chennai and i didn't like it much. The flavor and the texture was so new to me and i was bit hesitate to give a try on any new food back then. Then slowly i had developed the taste for mushroom and started to have it on restaurant. After marriage, when i started to cook on my own, seriously i dont know how to clean the mushrooms since we don't cook mushrooms in our home back then. I have so many questions like the hairy part on back side of the mushroom is edible? or why the skin is so pale sometimes? or whether i have to cook with or without stems? Later i got all the answers from the basic cookbook that i borrowed from the local library. So just like me back then, if you're beginner in cooking and don't know how to clean the mushrooms,then this post would help you to understand the basics.

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First take the mushrooms from the pack and put it in warm water for 30 secs, then gently remove the dirt on the top of mushroom with your fingers.Do the same for all the mushrooms and place it on cutting board.Discard the water, if needed, you can wash in warm water for one more time.If the top of the mushroom is pale in color,then hold the mushroom button downwards and peel the fine layer on the top by start peeling it from the inside where the mushroom button and stem is attached.Ref pic for understanding. You can skip this step,if the mushroom is fresh and all white.Then trim the stem slightly and cut into desired shape as per your dish required.Tada, all done and ready to cook.

Notes:

Don't soak the mushroom in water for long time, it has the tendency to retain more water.

Wash the mushroom more than once if it has more dirt.

If you don't like the hairy part of mushroom,remove it before cutting.